What happens when machines develop another sense? Shaul Mazor (Tracense)

<p>What happens when robots can sense something we can’t see?</p><p>In this episode of <strong>Autonomous</strong>, I sit down with <strong>Shaul Mazor, CEO of Tracense</strong>, to explore a sense we rarely talk about in Physical AI: smell.</p><p>We’ve spent decades giving machines better eyes, ears and increasingly capable hands. Cameras, LiDAR, radar, microphones and new levels of robotic dexterity are changing how machines understand and interact with the physical world. But chemical sensing opens another layer entirely.</p><p>Tracense is developing technology that detects chemical traces in the air and turns them into information machines can understand. Today, that includes applications such as detecting explosives and hazardous materials. But our conversation goes much further.</p><p>What happens when chemical sensing becomes small and capable enough to live on robots, drones and infrastructure? Could machines eventually detect fires, leaks, contamination or changes in an environment before humans notice them? And what happens when AI begins combining smell with vision, sound and touch?</p><p>We also talk about Shaul’s journey through technology and smaller companies, his passion for taking ideas from concept to growth, and one of the hardest questions in deep tech: <strong>how do you know when an impressive technology is ready to become a real business?</strong></p><p>A conversation about sensors, Physical AI, entrepreneurship, and whether the next generation of machines might understand the physical world in ways humans simply can’t.</p>